Strength Once Returned
by DumpsterCat69
Summary: John tries lucid dreaming, and what starts out as something really cool, turns into a horrible nightmare. A guilty conscious from the game doesn't help ease his troubles. One shot.


**(A/N): Look, it's the master of never finishing her stories! Here's a one shot I randomly wrote the other night. I will try and start working on uploading stuff for my other stories. **

**I don't own Homestuck, obviously. But if I did, I'd ship John/Dave so hard. And Karkat/Nepeta. But anyway... Story time.**

He could feel the light, soft breeze gently sway his pitch black hair; its touch a calm, pleasant welcome. He couldn't tell where or when he was, but John Egbert was content.

Somewhat rigidly, he began moving, his finger, limbs and muscles twitching to life, and soon his eyes opened, revealing the bright world that was of his own creation to his bright blue eyes. Rolling hills of forest green extending past the horizon, trees all the colors of Autumn decorating the landscape and stretching into the royal blue sky, home to a bright and shining sun that radiated warmth throughout the place.

A low 'tink tink tink' sound was just barely audible, coming from no direction in particular. John was far too distracted by the small patches of apple tress he'd spotted just then to pay much attention to the odd tinkering sound.

Slowly elevating from the ground, John meandered toward the collection of apple trees. As he entered the thicket of tress, John found a couple of bottles of apple juice lying on the ground, which he captchalogued into his sylladex. The bottles were clear, with a label that portrayed a smiling red apple. Creepy.

John continued on, suddenly realizing that the tinkering noise had begun to crescendo. Peering past the trees on the right, a clearing could be made out. Looking around, John was shocked to see that the ground and former rolling hills of green had turned into… cake, as well as the mountains. The tinkering boomed in John's ears and his heart began hammering in his chest.

A loud boom permeated heavily through the air, followed by a crackle could be heard, drowning out all other sounds until it died out. The tinkering noise was loud and rigid, echoing into the lone boy's skull.

Stepping back, John snapped his hands onto his ear as a louder boom pounded his ears, causing him to flinch. Opening his eyes again, John was horrified by the abrupt change in scenery. The hills of cake melted and erupted like volcanoes; the ground giving off scolding heat in waves.

John felt gravity intensify, leaving him almost unable to fly, and he was being pulled toward the cake based lava below. John's eyes canned the huge gears that now floated in front of him, blocking out large portions of the sky and cracking time itself with its constant TINK TINK TINK thundering through space as the turned continuously, slicing any previously silence. The sky was an angry scarlet red, crows cutting though the air, eyes on John. He was the contrast through it all in his baby blue god tier outfit.

John barely floated where he was. He would hear his heart thumping wildly in his ears, adrenaline screaming for him to run. His muscles pleaded for him to move as he stared up at the gears that were running it all.

But he couldn't move. Not an inch. He was paralyzed where he was, fear coursing through his every thought.

A single bead of sweat raced down his face as he tried with all his might to move even a single muscle, even a joint, to no avail. He opened his mouth to scream out in this place, despite it being desolate of people. But his screams were silent to even his own ears. Panic settled in John's chest as he squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to relinquish himself from this terrifying predicament.

"John."

John's eyes snapped open, darting frantically around in the sudden darkness for the smooth baritone voice that beckoned him. It was wispy and hollow, echoing around the seamlessly unending empty space.

Two hands came to rest on each of John's shoulders, causing a startles jolt that shot like lighting throughout his body. Both their foreheads connected softly, a set of glasses connecting with John's square framed ones, making a light 'clink' sound.

"I'm dead, John. You've killed me over and over. Why would you do that to me?" John could feel the stranger's breath tickling his face. He knew this person somehow.

A light emanated from below their feet, -John dared not look-, the tinkering sound faintly returning, and shifting John's adrenaline back into gear. John's eyes were met by a pair of shades… Dave's shades.

"Dave…?" John could faintly hear his name being called in the distance.

"You killed so many!" With a deafening thud, Dave's shades cracked and fell, revealing eyes made of fire, a raging volcano of rage burning within them. Tear collected in John's own eyes as Dave gripped his shoulders. He began to speak, but the only thing to be heard was the faint voice –now substantially louder-, screaming his name.

John jolted up from where he lay on his bed.

"John! Dude, are you okay?" Light from a computer on the other end of their dorm room allowed John to see Dave's shade-clad face and messy bed hair. His twangy southern voice was filled with worry.

John snatched the shades of Dave's face, tossing them to Dave's bed just feet away. Turning back to the blonde hovering over him in shock and worry, John stared into Dave's now exposed bright red eyes.

"John?" The blue eyed boy snapped out of his daze, abruptly crashing his lips to his best friend's, shocking him greatly.

"Don't you ever leave my side." John said, never breaking eye contact with Dave.

"Never." Wrapping John snugly in his arms, both boys returned to a more sound sleep, but not before cuddling and chaste kisses filled the cool night air…

**_End._**

**Reviews are appreciated! :P  
**

**-Emma**


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